In our study of Nepal and Bhutan we learned much about these mountain "kingdoms". Check out the following video from current tv: http://current.com/items/88884836/lost_in_democracy.htm which takes an inside look at the changes that are currently transpiring and have already occurred.
What are your thoughts? Does this change your perspective on democracy? on cultural change? on globilization? It seems we have discussed this issue of globilization on a grander scale, but let's look at it more specifically to Bhutan. How do you think Buddhism reacts to the changing world?
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I was surprised at seeing how peaceful, happy, and pretty much without problems the people of Bhutan were with their lives. They seemed to have no issues whatsoever and were just...happy. With the first steps of westernization, however, things began to change immediately, and I was rather surprised at the speed with which the introduction of TV affected the youth of Bhutan. In this country that globalization barely touched, the influences of westernization, technology, and media are far more noticeable and highlighted. Watching this video, I was reminded that monarchy can actually work, and work extremely well for the people, sometimes more than democracy, which we all consider the best form of government. The main problem about monarchy is that it is risky, almost like a gamble. The government will do well only if the king is a good person who makes the right choices for the people and nation. The previous king of Bhutan was a really good one, so the country thrived in happiness during his rule. I'm impressed by his choice of passing the power to the people because he was aware of the fact that a good king will not always come to power. The good thing about monarchy is that, if the ruler is good, then there is no issue of a divided people or opposition and conflicting ideas that slow everything down. Although democracy sounds appealing because it is meant to be for "everyone," we all know that it simply isn't possible to meet the needs of everyone and there is always conflict withing the government and people, while the Bhutanese people all shared the king's ideas and were united.
I don't really know how Buddhism reacts to the world, but maybe they oppose westernization because of the capitalist ideas which promote self-achievement, while Buddhists believe in serving others.
yeh, in this case, Globalization sucks... I have more or less mized feelings about this because... Well democarcy reached europe after having progressed through many stages... from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy to whatever, and for good reason! because it was definitly necessary! But in this case with Bhutan, i can see why the kings would try and prevent the worst from happening but.. it wastn really necessary! and i understand why people wouldnt accept it, the only way they could, would be for a cruel king to rise to power and have the people overthrow him themselves... I btw think this GNH is awsome! we should judge countries by that rather than GDP (although it would be hard to measure)... The world needs to leave Bhutan alone! as long as they're happy, let em be! In a case where you have a completely fine nation with a fine culture and fine people, westernization can only be a bad thing... we hold different values and our culture has already been corrupted so there is no going back, but dont influence the ones that still have their traditions! btw madman penis guy is just... XD oh and, i think these people are amazing and i think it sucks that a good culture can be so easily corrupted by another....
I was thinking about how much of a dramatic change occurred within Bhutan through the whole switch from monarchy to democracy. I was also thinking about how bad it is that the King of Bhutan resigned from his post to let the people govern themselves. The people of Bhutan had always functioned, worshipped, and followed the King and his rules, and he had done so much for them in his reign, from the Gross National Happiness idea to preserving Bhutan's culture to making health and education free. So, if he steps down from power, Bhutan might get worse, the new ruler might not do as much good as the old King, and like one person said, "I don't think that Gross National Happiness is gonna survive in the future. We have a smile on our face now due to our Gross National Happiness. Only because of that. So I fear that in the future, maybe our smile may be lost." I also have a much more broadened aspect of globalization by watching this video. Even though globalization might be a beneficial aspect for many countries and a huge push to their economy, maybe for others that are more conservative, it will harm the culture of the country and open the people up to new ideas that they are not ready to embrace. I think it's cool that Bhutan has the whole Gross National Happiness, but they really need a stable economy in the future if they are to become a Westernized country. I still think democracy is a good thing, but this video showed me how much more effective a monarchy can be instead of a democracy. Cultural change is imminent for any country, but it just seemed Bhutan would always stay the same when I first watched this video. After seeing all the confusing transformations it has gone through over the course of this video, I think that cultural change sucks and can cause people to forget the ideas that were instilled in them from the beginning. For example, in Bhutan, marijuana used to only be fed to the pigs to make them fat, but ever since the introduction of the TV into the culture, select members of the Bhutan youth have started smoking it, seeing the practice on TV, and there are even gangs now, such as Bacteria. I think that Buddhism does not neccessarily care about the changing world and globalization. They care about the things that really matter to them, which are happiness, tradition, and upholding of the Buddhist values. Like Christof Putzel said, "It's Bhutan's style to take it slow."
its great to see a country that finally belives that happiness is the most important thing there. these guys really dont have any prblems in there country. my thoughts on democracy has not changed at all but my real question is why change their goverment if it is working for them?i thought that having television would have change their minds about "copying" the westerners. its obvious what the tv is doing to their youth but the people insist on changing, this makes no sense to me a all! i would have said that cultural change is good but obviously these people have no reason to change. their goverment is working for them. if their culture is the most important thing to them why bring up western ideas to their country, and what was the king thinking when he came up with this idea in the first place. if the people wanted change the would've protested a long time ago. he is basically shoving this change down their throat. with this westernization Buddhism will have its biggest change on the young people of their country. when the bhutanese young see how the most of the westerners view buddhism (as a phase) they will probably start thinking the same too. though monarchy has a lot of flaws, its been working out for the people, and democracy will damage the country
***Jorge "Che" Guevara***
Comrades! :P
I was also very astonished by the ability Bhutanese people have to remain happy even though not having as much posessions as we do...
In my opinion, monarchies and dictatorships in Western civilised rich countries are absolutely out of date. Nonetheless, in countries where the majority of people are illiterate hence are vulnerable to any unfair religious sumbmission, where natural resources are extremely valuable though extremely scarce, and people either don't have the economic resources to represent the people, I think the country NEEDS an authoritarian leader.
The unfortunate fact about countries that are severely landlocked and miserably poor such as Bhutan is that the moment their leader leaves them and calls for a democratic election, the greedy capitalistic world regards this event as a formidable opportunity to dominate the region economically thus submitting the population to extreme tradition destruction and imminent Westernization (and all its disadvantages). A perfect example about the destruction that Westernization causes is TV. In Bhutan, traditions and happiness is vanishing due to TV that is discovering the smoking of drugs and violence to the population.
I suppose that Buddhism, being such an extremely traditional religion with such extreme and fixed values rejects Wesaternization completely because of the destruction it causes on a country's values and public humbleness.
WOW. That was an amazing video for me. The Fact that Bhutan is like this,makes me wish that the whole world could be like this. The entire country loved the king and thought he was a reincarnation of god even. The king made all the decisions and influenced everything that was done, he was mini god. The people in Bhutan seem educated enough to make wise decisions, Although this is true the younger generation has the upper hand in numbers and it seems that western culture is really creating a rift in the norm for Bhutan. The fact that u are seeing clubs and gang related things in a country that used 50 years ago used to be in the mid evil ages is amazing. The Television was just introduced a few years ago and all the violence and stuff that would be usually unheard of started, children are starting to get addicted and are watching shows that are violent and misleading, like WWE and MTV showing rap and gangs. The small teen gang is horrible because this is an image of how the future will be like in Bhutan if something is not done now. Know, democracy isn't all that, especially if the country has been running under one ruler for so long and he has been doing a great job. People get confused, and its like taking a teen and putting him in a house and a job and getting him a family, he will be confused and scared and wouldn't make smart decisions either. Globalization usually is the death of culture, The country's that have a serious link with ancient culture get Globalized, the youth loose the language or beliefs, they become part of the western world and the culture is lost forever and this is what is going to happen with Bhutan.
The way the people viewed the world and lived their life showed that actually nothing was missing. Maybe they were not clariefied about the western world and their lifestyles were kind of antiquated, but the ppl seemed happy. And they were living in a monarchy.This was hoever for my opinion just working because they had the luck to have a great man as a king.If this is the case, there is I guess nothing to say against a monarchy but it is sadly is not coomon case. The most monarchies did not work well.
With the westetion in Bhutan everything changed. Not in a good way though. But I think the cahnges through TV and those things is more than less the responsebilty of the adults. I mean if they don't let theri children watch violent things TV does not have a bad influence. Because I dont see anything bad about education/enlightenment. I think that the country needs just some time to get along with the democracy and the "westernization",but I don't know, maybe it would have been better to let the country be a monarchy, because if a monarchy works, and the leader(king), makes the right choices for the people and can sate its country there is nothing to say.Because a monarcy has a lot of good aspects, however only under certain circumstances,such as a good leader, who was available. The advantage that no one with a bad opinion can gain power or can courrot the government. The country is in safe hands.
i found this to be an interesting documentary. i've never seen a community let alone a country that are so into preserving their culture. yes i have seen efforts made but they were usually for a small sector and they usually failed.
this documentary seems to be mainly focused on the battl against westernization. according to this it seems as if most of the problems that have just occured now are due to the influence of westernization. according to this documentary the television was a recent advance just recently shown to Bhutan. this effected their societiy violently. there waas an increase in violence, drug abuse and gangs, all this due to the images portrayed in this advancement that was supposed to have a positive impact.
another issue was the idea of democracy. bhutan was a monarchy and they were ruled by a knig who was revered as a god. the king then decided that after his reign bhutan would become a democracy since he feared that the next knig might not continue and only have the well being of the people in the country. people's response to this wasshok and fear. the only examples that they had seen of democracy was that of India, and they saw only the turmoil that was in India and that was the image they had of democracy.
one thing i agree with in this video is the way they show the importance of the youth. it is up to the youth to maintain their culture. as much as it saddens me however i can see this culture starting to dwindle. the chaging of their government to democracy, aas good as it might be, will only serve to accelerate and strengthen the the hold of westenization.
This doesn't really change my feelings on globalization. In many cases, globalization has taken away peoples' culture and their norms. But on the other hand, globalization also lets people learn more about others and understand other cultures more. This video does change my view on democracy and absolute monarchy. With absolute monarchy, if a country are ruled my a good king/queen, who cares about the people, then everyone will be happy. But with democracy, because everyone has a say in things, people want to hold on their ideas and this can divide a country.
I dont know how the Bhutanese react to the changing of the world but they strongly oppose the changing of their country. Because of the television, the adolescents are exposed to drugs and violence. This has affected the Bhutanese community because they now do very violent acts and smoke marijuana.
I thought that it was interesting to learn about how Bhutan was changing from a monarchy to a democracy because i never really knew that much about Bhutan. I found it interesting that they loved their king so much because most of the time when i think of a king i think of a tyrant.
Watching this video does not change my view on democracy or globilization. All of the successfull nations of the world are governed by a democracy so that is obviously proof that if your country is a democracy, then it will have more of a chance of becoming successfull.
Globalization is also important becuase i think it gives people more opportunities, like in Bhutan, people will be able to know the truth about what is going on in the world rather than being trapped in their own world of happiness and no problems.
I think that Bhuddist would be more against the changing world because they would be worried about the state of their religion but then again, i think that they also, will begin to see the positive results of a democracy.
Most people that grew up with democracy around them take it for granted that it is the best form of government. But seeing this, it makes you think about whether you are right. Democracy allows us to out our opinions on topics that are important to our country, but all that results is bickering. Constant argueing and trying to persuade others, is that what we wanted? Does that make us happy? The Bhutanese seemed so happy before Westernization. Then came the aweful television, which influenced youngsters to copy wrestlers and start smoking marijuana. Increased drug problems, violence and gang activity is the result of the invasion of what most people believe to be the superior West. It makes me sad to know that my culture has such a negative influences on populations that measure their prosperity by happiness, instead of wealth. Everything is about posession, geting on top. We are made to believe that being rich will give us happiness, but that is obviously not the case. All people should have access to happiness, and factors that aid in achieving happiness, not just the select few that had the oppertunity, and or the the skills required to get on top. Just measuring prosperity by happiness will create a much more positive attitude towards life. I also like the idea of preserving nature and culture. It helps a country keep it's identity, and be its own country, instead of being UST another country. It seems like such a healthy lifestyle. Before Westernization, there was no pollution and much less crime. Those are two factors which we try to combat the most in our own societies. Maybe the reason we are losing the battle is our society itself. I am very against globalization. Not only would it create problems in the world, it will cause oppression of culture, and cause the loss of so many unique experiences and new ideas. If Buddhism in Bhutan was eradicated, it would change the country drastically, and some major religion would probably invade and try to press their beliefs on the population. I think that would be horrible, especially in the case of Buddhism, because Buddhism is such a peaceful religion. It seems to create such a soothing environment of respect. I think that culture and religion are very closely related, and that the Western culture clashes somewhat with Buddhism. Many Buddhists would probably have problems understanding the way Western culture functions. Western culture is so aggressive, that it could easily overwhelm Buddhism. I fear for the future. Most Western 'Buddhists' label themselves so because Buddhism gets advertised as being 'cool', interesting, and hip. If Hinduism were to get advertised as much, Hinduism would become popular among Westerners. That is another problem we face in the West. People follow advertisement so blindly. And businesses take enormous advantage of that.
Obviously, i am quite disappointed in my own culture after viewing this video. Thanks Mr. Philen, thanks. Haha, joking, i am disappointed, but i am glad i have begun to question my own society more.
Christopher Columbas Bernicat
I think it's awesome thats they are happy with havin a monacrchy i mean whatever floats their boat and helps the country aswell is really good essically since the people are chill with it .
The tv thing yeah they could be work and since they have been exposed to some of the stuff i guess they're minds are being infulence more and more neg/postive point of view and i can't really say much cuz i watch hell of alot of tv . i thought the givin pigs WEED was a really COOL idea it's pretty smart they got the munchies and everything so it made them uber fat. The smokin part all i can say is whatever floats your boat. the dick idea cracked me up so hard hahahaha it's so funny and i can see where the evil spirt wouldn't wanna come in the house . Decomcy is somthing that left to point of view , we have been exposed to it so we think its awesome they think it's bad cuz they haven't had it and are scared but i have to comend the king he was a really big man and showed real leadership and love for his country cuz you never know if the next is gonna be an asswhole leader.
Christopher says how about burning herbal trees with Purple leaves ;)
I like the way the people in Bhutan live. Whether they are a rural farmer, a merchant, or a member of parliament they all seem happy with their lifestyles. Before TV it was all they knew and all it took to make them happy. However Globalization brought many new ideas to an unprepared audience and the Bhutanese government is gonna have to find a solution for this.
It doesn't change much in my perspective of democacry. Like all human endeavours, democracy has as many pluses as minuses, yes "THE PEOPLE" have a chance to choose for themselves, but will they make the right decision. Probably not, we shouldnt act as if democracy is the only way for the people to be happy, look at how this Bhutanese population love their king, he definetly holds audience and he definetly pays attention to what his people want. or else how would the NGH work??
I understand the way Bhutan reacts to this huge change. the youth are doing what the youth does best, messing around. The elder and religious are doing their part by opposing this movement for they fear that the change will affect their culture and they are completely right about this. I think it will just takes time until bhutan adapts to the incoming influence.
Like young nak, i'm also very surprised that they live in such a peaceful environment and don't have any major problems in their community. One of the most troubling things in the video was that the people drew penis's on the walls in town because some man could make evil go away with his penis. Also,I see how television affected them and it's amazing that weed has made it everywhere through out the world and still affects the people's lives there. It definitely changes my view on democracy because it shows that monarchy is not always bad. However, like their king said, nobody can guarantee that the king will always be so good with his people. One king might be amazing and gain the trust, and love of all his people but another might mess everything up and bring the country down by being selfish and only caring about himself. This brings up the effects of globilization and of course it has a lot more negative effects then posotive onces
CLASS PLEASE LEAVE INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE AND DRUG-RELATED INNUENDOS OUT OF THE DIALOGUE!
THIS IS A FORUM TO EXPRESS YOUR IDEAS, BUT IN AN ACADEMIC AND RESPECTFUL MANNER. THIS IS ABLE TO BE VIEWED BY MANY PEOPLE. WHAT YOU SAY IS WHAT YOU SAY! PLEASE BE AWARE OF YOUR WORD CHOICE!
i found the documentary really interesting, gives a really cool perspective of the people of Bhutan.
Hehe the whole culture is frikin hilarious, i mean it might be offensive to put it that way, but such new ideas in one video seemed really awesome, drawinf penises on walls thats awesome, dont i do that already? lol xD joking but seriously they have some of the coolest ideas in their culture, sorry i didnt say much, but really cool video aobut Bhutan!!! sorta makes me wanna visit it some day, and in my opinion, goverment shuld be what everyone wants it to be, so yeah democracy>..... but if something works for a nation why not keep it? all its doing is good....
Aisha
As the saying goes " Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants." Before westernization, these people had NO STRESS. There was very little violence. The Bhutanese were peaceful people who cherished tradition above everything else. Western ideas had so much influence on the youth because they believed everything they saw (They were no more enclosed in their own little world). After watching this video, my opinion about democracy doesn't really change, I think people should still have the right to express themselves and know what's happening in the world in which they live. There are two sides to everything, good and bad. In a monarchy, the country and the peoples happiness depends on the ruler's intentions as for in a democracy its an entire nation expressing their thoughts.
To me, they seemed happier before, because they didn't know anything. Were they not bored of living a predictable life?
when mr philen uses big words, U KNOW hes mad! :D hes right tho, dont say dumb risky stuff that u think makes u look edgey, nub.
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